When politicians come to you for your votes next year, ask them to show you their agenda for the environment.” This was the statement made by the President of Waste Management Association of Nigeria (WAMASON), Professor Oladele Osibanjo, when he spoke at a gathering of youths at the first annual summit on the environment at University of Ibadan’s Centre for Sustainable Development, last week.
The summit, hosted by CleanEdge Solutions, had the theme: “Waste and environmental challenges: The role of young people in providing solutions.”
Professor Osibanjo challenged youths to take responsibility for the environment, saying that inaction had a cost. “It is better you challenge them (politicians) when they come to you, and keep asking them what their plans are for the environment. What future do you want? If you don’t speak up for the environment now, future generations will condemn us,” he told the young people.
While presenting his keynote address, the professor of Chemistry said that the amount of money allocated to the environment in Nigerian government’s budget remained one of the smallest.
He listed environmental challenges facing the country to include acid rain in the Niger Delta, the herdsmen/farmers crisis due to deforestation in the north, and Nigeria having one of the highest rates of typhoid fever in the world.
The former head of the Basel Convention Coordinating Centre in Africa advised youths to be strategic, and proffer solutions to environmental problems, noting that patience and tenacity was required. “Government is looking for credible partners to work with. You must proffer solutions to them. You must be patient and strategic in doing this,” the WAMASON president said.
Co-founder of CleanEdge Solutions, Tosin Gbadegesin, told Ecoscope that the environmental summit was part of numerous activities CleanEdge Solutions had engaged in pursuit of its vision “to contribute to a greener economy.”
According to him, “The annual summit on environment is to bring young people together, have time with experts and build their capacity.”
Giving more insight into his organisation’s activities, Gbadegesin said that CleanEdge Solutions had reached 50 schools on waste education in Oyo State in the past year, adding that 20,000 students were engaged in its Save the Environment Campaign which lasted for 10 weeks.
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